Intro

The new Nissan Murano falls into the luxury SUV market. The looks are also an acquired taste for most, but I can guarantee you that if you don’t like it at first it does grow on you. I am writing this user review on the back of spending in excess of 6 000 km in this vehicle. This vehicle has done a long distance trip, mild off-roading and normal day to day use. The keyless operation of the vehicle is something I can get used to.

General

This vehicle is equipped with everything you may require. It has a rear camera for reversing which shows which direction you are intending to go based on the turn of the front wheels. It also has a side camera for parallel parking. It has a 6 CD Bose sound system with 2 subwoofers and 11 speakers. The system is iPod capable, but unfortunately you need an add-on for full control. The CD player can handle mp3 and WMA file formats. Oh, and just a sidenote: You can just hold the eject button for a few seconds and it will eject all cd’s contained in the unit and the same when loading a bunch of cd’s, you just hold load for a few seconds.

There is also a built in GPS navigation system. Bluetooth is also a standard on this system. The phone system is very good and phonebook capabilities are exceptional. All the other features that are standard nowadays on these types of vehicles include cruise-control, ABS, EBD, heated seats, electric windows, electrically adjustable seats, electrically adjustable steering, 6 airbags, dual zone climate control, etc. The rear seats are also adjustable electronically to fold flat or sit back up. When sitting at the back, with the front seats fully backed up, you get the feeling of sitting in a lounge. The Murano also has standard ISOfix for baby chairs. The Bi-Xenon headlamps ensure excellent visibility at night.

Performance

When you look at a vehicle of this size you generally do not expect much in terms of straight out racing type performance. The engine is the same as used in the legendary Nissan 350Z (VQ35DE). The acceleration in this vehicle is very good taking you from zero to 100 in a mere 8.7s. The braking is also supportive of this acceleration. The Murano is equipped with the Nissan CVT gearbox and only comes in this one option. It is also manually selectable should you feel the need to do shifts yourself. The pro of the CVT is that you can hardly detect the shifts between gears. It does however find itself sometimes not too sure of what gear it should be in.

Ride and Handling

This is a very comfortable vehicle with all the luxuries you may require. It is very steady on the road. I also felt very comfortable with the cornering capabilities as you can hardly notice any body roll in sharp corners. The power assistance on the steering is spot on. According to Nissan the assist is at its highest at slow speeds and then let go a bit at higher speeds.

The one area that concerns me is road holding in stormy conditions. I experienced quite a bit of aquaplaning on more than one occasion in extremely wet weather. This could be due to the choice in tyres, Bridgestone Dueler, that comes standard.

When going through off road terrain that could potentially lead to you getting stuck, you just switch on the 4x4 option and disengage the VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Controls). This is also the time I prefer to change over to manual shifting. Going through a lot of mud I never got the feeling that the Murano are not going to make it. It however is not a vehicle for full off roading.

Conclusion

This is a very comfortable vehicle for the family. With the price at testing stage at R488 000 it is in the same price league as the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60. To extend the service plan to a full maintenance plan will take the total price up just shy of the R500k mark. In money terms vs performance, the Murano makes a lot of sense as an option. If you are in this segment of the market, give the Murano a test drive.

Thanks to IC Auto Nissan Roodepoort for the vehicle.

Intro

What do the gay car of the year and a girlie car have in common with the 370Z…?

This is the successor of the very successful 350Z. The Z has been an icon for the Nissan brand over 40 years up to now. The first was the 240Z which to this day is still very sought after by many car enthusiasts. If you put the 240Z and the 370Z side by side you will see it has still got the same basic shape. The engine size has been increased to 3.7L (VQ37VHR) from the 3.5L (VQ35DE & VQ35HR) that were employed in the 350Z. Nissan experienced a down time in popularity in the Z with the 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX, 300ZX models that followed the 240Z.

My first impressions, having driven the 350Z for a while, are that the 370Z is more refined in terms of drivability. The interior is also of a higher standard than that of the 350Z. Now, depending on what you like in a car this might be good or bad. Personally I like the feel I get when driving the 350Z over that of the 370Z. It is a raw motoring experience rather than the sophistication of its successor. The alloys on this vehicle are extremely beautiful. Yes, I said it! Most people I have come across driving this car has been drawn to the looks of the mags. It is made by Rays Engineering for this vehicle. The SynchroRev Match transmission is quite a nice addition. It basically matches the revs of the speed you are driving when you gear down. This is the first for a production manual transmission. This model also makes use of Nissan’s Intelligent Key, which is the now standard keyless entry system.

Performance

The straight-line performance of this car is very good, but exceptional on cornering. You can take a corner at speed with ease. The gear changes when done in auto mode are very quick and should give any person a distinctive advantage when going head to head with another car. The engine has a nice strong grunt to it that only really comes out at higher revs. The 350Z still has a better exhaust sound to it with the standard exhaust. The paddle shift on the auto makes life easier by getting to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times, having access to the shifting and indicator at the same time. The brakes will make you leave face prints all over your windscreen if you are not careful.

Ride and Handling

The 370Z is not too hard or too soft on the suspension. It can become tiresome at times on long roads. This only happens when you start forgetting all the exciting things this car offers. Then you also start to hear the droning noise generated through the back of the car. To get the most out of the handling I would suggest that you shift over to manual shifting to have better control over the gear that you want to be in when taking corners, etc. The only problem is if you have something in the boot of the car. It will fall around until you want to stop and chuck it out.

Interior

The 370Z is fitted with an 8 speaker Bose sound system. I don’t like Bose purely because they do not make good sound reproduction equipment. The system has a 6 disc changer and iPod (or any other mp3 player) compatible. The Bluetooth hands free kit is built into the head unit and is easily set up by following voice commands. It still has the silly cubby hole above the cd unit that is of no use. It has however acquired a front passenger side cubby hole that was behind the passenger seat in the 350Z. Seats are heat and electric which makes it easier to move around. I would’ve liked a memory button to store a specific seating position though. It has all the standard features like climate control, cruise control, onboard computer, etc.  It has a 12v input inside the centre arm rest cubbyhole with a slot for a cellphone charger cable to run out of.

Exterior

The car is very aggressive looking making it manlier than the competitors in the form of the BMW Z4 and Audi TT. Although we do know that the TT were made for woman and the Z4 was voted the gay car of the year. A nice touch is the side indicator on the front fenders with the Z icon.

Concerns

When driving in full auto you sometimes hit a speed that makes it difficult for the transmission to establish the correct gear. This is more an annoyance than anything else. The little cap that is fitted over the rear view mirror was also not a flush fit which is just a bit of poor craftsmanship for a car of this caliber.

Verdict

I really like the 370Z, and still believe that the Nissan Z-series still offer the best bang for the buck performance than any other car on the market currently. Therefore, this is the logical choice in this market segment, unless you fall into one of the two previously mentioned categories.